DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

見異思遷

简见异思迁 · 繁見異思遷

Mandarin · pinyin jiàn yì sī qiān

to change at once on seeing sth different (idiom); loving fads and novelty
never satisfied with what one has

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

見: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive; Kangxi radical 147
異: Look up this written character
思: sī · think, consider, ponder; final particle
遷: Look up this written character
见: jiàn · see, observe, behold; perceive
异: yì · different, unusual, strange
迁: qiān · move, shift, change; transfer; relocate a capital city

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–4–1–1 · jian4 yi4 si1 qian1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

6character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

見異思遷 · find source passages ↗ · 见异思迁 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

gin3 ji6 si1 cin1

Cantonese word readings for 見異思遷. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to change one's mind the moment one sees something new

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack